Summer Safety Tips

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Honeywell are drawing on their partnership to raise awareness of child safety and family security at amusement parks. In 2003, the two organizations co-created Got 2B Safe!, a nationwide program that educates eight to ten year olds and their parents on how to help prevent child abduction and exploitation.

In 2003, 322 million people visited approximately 600 amusement parks in the U.S., according to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. Taking time to plan the trip and including children in that process helps to make the outing a more enjoyable one from start to finish. Keeping children safer during the outing should include some essential tactics to prevent child abduction.

KEEPING CHILDREN SAFER AT AMERICAS AMUSEMENT PARKS

Got 2B Safe! Rules:

Check First - Children should always check with parents and guardians before accepting gifts, rides or invitations from anyone, including friends, acquaintances and people they don't know.

Go With a Friend - Simple and straightforward - never go anywhere alone. Being with another person in public is safer and more fun.

It's My Body - Anyone who violates the sanctity of a child's body or threatens or attempts to do so is committing a crime. Tell your children it is okay to say "NO!"

Other Amusement Park Safety Tips:

Be alert - Remind children to pay attention to where they are and who they are with at all times.

"Meet up Spot" - Parents and children should plan beforehand to use the Help/Information Center as their designated meeting area. If a child is separated, they should go there immediately. Children should NEVER go with a person they dont know, or search for their parents alone, especially in parking lots.

I.D. - Do not let the child's name be displayed, but make sure they have some form of identification, and family/emergency contact information.

Digits - Make sure your children know your phone number, including cell phone or pager numbers, and understand that you dont need money to dial 9-1-1.

More information and safety tips can be found at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Childrens website www.missingkids.com. For more information on Got 2B Safe! Click here.